Knitted Stocking Ornament

I have been knitting these cute little stockings to decorate the cookie tins Becky and I will be giving away as Christmas gifts. I can make one in about an hour and a half. I think I will tuck a candy-cane inside each one before attaching them onto the tins.

Material: small amounts of red and white worsted weight yarn
size 8 knitting needles.

Procedure: Work the stocking back and forth on two needles. Cast on 20 stitches with white yarn. Work in garter stitch for six rows. Break off white yarn and join red yarn. Use stockinette stitch for rest of stocking. Work 16 rows. On the 17th row, knit 13 stitches. Turn and purl six (center of foot). Turn again and knit across these six stitches, leaving remaining stitches on needles.

Work seven more rows in this manner on the six stitches. Break off yarn and tie it on where stitches were divided to start center of instep. Pick up seven stitches evenly on each side of vamp. Knit across the center of row (34 stitches total) and purl back across all stitches.

Knit two stitches together at the beginning and end of the next row (heel), and at the same time knit the center two stitches together to round off toe. Purl the next row and continue to decrease in this manner every other row twice. Bind off the remaining 25 stitches leaving enough yarn to sew up stocking. Use yarn or ribbon to make a loop.